Album Review: Lago - Vigil
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Lago is a band out of Arizona, United States, that has passed me by on a number of occasions and yet I have never checked them out; well with the upcoming release of Vigil, their third full length work, I’ll finally put that to rights. Formed in 2010 Lago got to work immediately with an EP, a Demo, before releasing their debut full length, Tyranny, in 2014. It’s evident Lago don’t rush albums out given they wouldn’t release their follow-up, Seas Of Duress, until 2018, after which the band went quiet with not one release foretelling future efforts. But come mid-2024 the band released a Single, indicative of an upcoming record; that record is here, titled Vigil, set for a May 8th release date. Signing on to Everlasting Spew Records it’s Lago’s biggest label yet and considering how much I’ve heard and seen advertised about this album on varying social medias its time to finally dive head first into Vigil.
First and foremost there’s the production applied herein. If Lago were after something monstrous and utterly commanding they’ve done a great job for there’s nothing on record that’ll give you a chance to turn away. However it’s far from overly crushing and while riffs and drums feel massive, Vigil doesn’t attempt to deceive its audience with what scope it’s really playing with. It’s a vast record but it isn’t thrust right in your face, and additionally doesn’t need to because by giving us the space to recognise its scale we can take in everything it has to offer with greater ease. But other than simply feeling big Vigil’s production gives the band a demented and serpentine aesthetic where every strike twists and coils; you can feel the malice and hatred oozing with every turn the songwriting takes. Though the record hardly stops for a moment its most impactful moments are when a handful of notes are closely tied together and then brought down on your head in quick succession. It’s this cinderblock attack many will take away from Vigil as a reason for returning.
The riffs on this record are some of the most technically inventive you’ll hear all year, knowing we’ve got months to go yet until the year is out. Whilst Lago perform death metal familiar to many of us, their riffs hardly sit still and are always branching off into some lick or previously unexplored sound that, in doing so, broadens Lago’s horizons and what we may expect from them. Whilst the guitar tone is mostly chunky and sticks to the record’s ground, accompanied by basslines that churn and destroy when called upon, the memorability comes from those licks and riff segments that climb and soar and scream. To some degree Vigil cries to break free and does so after flight is attained; going into this record you mustn’t think the band are going to play by the rules for conventionality isn’t on their mind. The soloing is equally as sublime, clamouring for loftier heights than where others have marked their own flags and, by doing so, takes us into near-dreamlike worlds where foundations are left behind and intangible realms are that little more possible.
One true hero of the band here however is the drummer, for his performance ensures not only the record’s pace is constant and engaging but the techniques employed are continuously switching up for what the songwriting requires. Should the band aspire for more blunt force action the bass drums are employed in force, where the mix has helped them stand out with outlined presence. Should the drumming perform more typical segments whereby the songwriting bridges song sections, the patterns are far from predictable; there’s almost always some minute modification made to a standard pattern to give it greater life and energy. It is entirely possible to visit every track on record here and know wholly the drumming is entirely unique as one track succeeds another.
The vocals utilised are excellent but not for the reason, I believe, most would think them for. Granted these aren’t the kind you’ll listen in to for the lyrics since you won’t make out a syllable and, should you know who Lago are, lyrics won’t be your prerogative for tuning in. The delivery is enormous, guttural, the kind of demonic soundscape you’d fear to discover in some pitch black domain, but more so is the incredible depth they achieve. As one listens you’ll find yourself captivated by the totality of such a performance, the complete lust for the void, as well as the longevity such vocals possess too. Some notes are sustained longer than you’d expect, showcasing remarkable control and throat technique, thus lengthening the heinous punishment Lago salivate at inflicting.
In conclusion, the end goal of Vigil is to submerse you into as deplorable and destroyed a physical state as possible without inhibiting your ability to carry on. Should that become the case you wouldn’t wish to return to Vigil and I thoroughly want to return, for Lago have some deliciously devious death metal displayed here. Though there be seven tracks and each as rampant and rabid as the one preceding, Vigil runs with astonishing speed which is doubly impressive given its aforementioned scale, and how like a hydraulic ram it keeps applying pressure until bones break and organs rupture. Its that collective power, looking back, knowing what it delivers on, that enamours us to seek out more of it, chasing that high of adrenaline, that intoxicating power, that entices us to return. Many could say Lago do little different than the slew of cavernous death metal acts today but the band never needed to because it all comes down to songwriting, and Vigil is overflowing in that quality. It’s the kind of record that will see newcomers visit their older material and create lifelong fans. An exceptionally insane record.
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